The Tears of Darkness
by Ganja Naraku
Summary: I had dared to love another...Alas, no better than the rest.
1. Mr Crowley

**Mr. Crowley, What went on in your head? ****Oh Mr. Crowley, Did you talk to the dead?**

**Your lifestyle to me seemed so tragic, w****ith the thrill of it all.**

**You fooled all those people with magic, y****eah, you waited on Satan's call.**

**Mr. Crowley.**

_Mr. Crowley-Ozzy Osbourne. Blizzard of Ozz, 1980_

xxx

_Through The Woods, A Boy Came Sadly,_

It was night, A blond teen clad in orange moved through the swamp of Training Area Twenty Four, his feet creating a noisy plop in the mud. He didn't know where he was going, only that it was better than being in the village right now.

_Something Broken In His Chest..._

The pain was the same as it had been the night before. It was like a dagger in his heart, being twisted over and over again. Why did it have to hurt so much? Why couldn't it just stop?

_He Had Dared To Love Another,_

He had loved the girl with the entirety of his heart, he'd have done anything for her, had she only asked. And to find his love misplaced, to be considered a monster, a _demon_, by one of the few people he'd put his total faith in; the one person he would have laid his life down for to protect...It destroyed him far better than the battle he'd had with his traitorous teammate.

_Alas, No Better Then The Rest..._

The girl's words remained with him, haunting him..._"I hate you! I wish you'd just go off and die!" _Simple words, nothing more, no violence. And yet they do such damage to him, and with such ease. He hid his anguish and pain from her and said nothing of it. Because it was the role he had to play...He'd been playing the role since he'd first laid eyes upon her.

_Up My Path, The Boy Came Gladly,_

He became aware of the cave only when he had to step up onto the stone entrance to avoid tripping in the mud. He stared up at it, impressed by the size. It was then that the clouds overhead rumbled and the rain began pouring down. Shielding his head he entered the cave before he got too wet.

_Something Opened Up My Doors..._

Shuddering in the cold he watched the rain fall, his mind turning back to her. Her face, twisted in pain and fury. How could things have gone so wrong? He'd tried so hard to do the right thing, and all he'd gotten for his trouble was her scorn. Death would be preferable to this...

_I Longed To Stop His Bleeding Heart,_

He leaped back as a streak of lighting hit at the cave's mouth, charring the ground in front of it. It was in this leap that he began his descent, having tripped down the incline of the cave and rolling down deeper and deeper into the darkness...

_And So I Called Him To My Shores..._

When at last he stopped rolling he found himself at the entrance to a massive cavern decorated with glowing purple crystals. The light of these crystals gave the entire cavern a dark and beautiful ambiance. In the center on the cavern was a black lake covered by a stone growth that passed over it, the light dancing on the small waves. He walked onto the bridge and looked over at the water's edge and could see no reflection, though as he watched the water he found himself remembering all that he'd been through, all the trials he'd suffered...

_Those You Trust Will Hurt You Badly,_

The fight with Haku and the rage at Sasuke's apparent demise, not because he cared for him but because of the pain it would cause _her_. The pain she inflicted with the brief flash of hatred in her eyes as she ran past him to his body. After the battle for Konoha, where he had risked his life to protect her from the misguided sand wielder. And afterward, he'd allowed her to keep the delusion that it had been Sasuke who'd saved her from Gaara, because it was her happiness that meant everything.

____

Something Now I'm Sure You See...

And then the fight with Sasuke himself. His rage that after everything he'd done,the Uchiha was throwing it all away for a Devil's Deal. The anguish of her words as she verbally tore out his heart. His fists clenched and he wiped his eyes of his tears. These tears fell into the black water and created a small series of ripples in their wake.

_So Drown Your Tears In Me, My Dear,_

And all at once it began to seem so perfect. He'd come to the area because he knew that the swamp would do well to hide his body from anyone who would seek it. No one would find his body here so deep in these caverns, and there would be no need for a burial. No one would have to mourn him, not that anyone would either way...

_As You Drown, My Dear, In Me_

He'd always been her little Problem Solver, and when he became the problem well...

He knew there was only one way to really solve it.

xxx

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	2. In The Black

**See me coming,**

**Don't look the other way.**

**Don't start running,**

**You stole my heart away.**

_In The Black-Motorhead. Inferno, 2004_

xxx

She could feel his breath, hot puffs on her neck as she arched her back, moaning into his shoulder. His hands, strong and gentle, ran down her back with tender care, sending chills of ecstasy down her spine. She could feel his lips running along her skin, setting fire to her soul as they traveled up to her jaw and to her lips. His hands moved from her back and slipped themselves downward to her sides. Another shudder rushed through her body as his lips brushed hers and his tongue slid to the entrance of her mouth.

It was at this point that the alarm clock decided to wake her up.

A pair of pearl colored eyes opened in a glare at the flashing red digits of her clock. It read Seven Thirty Two; a half of an hour before anyone else was awake. She had set the clock as such because it was the average time Naruto woke each morning. She knew this because she herself had woken up at _three_ in the morning to watch him wake up and average the data over a two week period.

She did this because she prided herself on knowing almost everything there was to know about him. She had to if only to understand him and become perfect for him. Because he deserved perfection. She knew his hobbies, the times he trained and in what areas, his favorite foods right down to the core ingredients. She knew what foods were stocked in his fridge at any given time and when they expired. She knew his favorite places to visit just to relax.

Was it obsessive? Maybe. Stalkerish and a little creepy? Many would think so. But the truth was she only wanted to be the best for him, to be able to know him inside and out because he deserved nothing less. He was so kind, and trusting, and loyal. Any woman would be blessed by the gods themselves to have him at their side. Yes, perhaps he had a tendency to be a little overbearing, and maybe he was a little...eccentric at times. But if you looked past that you'd find a man with a heart of gold who'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

But even with all of her knowledge of him and his habits, there were aspects of his personality that she just could not understand. Why Sakura Haruno? Of all people, why was he so attracted to that pink haired little..._banshee_? Her voice was grating, she had absolutely no figure, her ninja skills were far more abysmal than Hinata's own, there was absolutely _nothing_that warranted his attraction to her! He followed her like a dog on a leash and even went to save the only one who ever had a chance in hell of getting through the oversized skull of hers. And as much as she wanted to, she didn't speak up about it because Sakura seemed to honestly make him happy and if she was what he wanted who was she to interfere?

Though maybe if she had he wouldn't be the way he was now...

Hinata sighed, shaking her head of these thoughts as she exited the shower and dried herself. After fixing her hair she examined her growing figure in the mirror. Indeed she had inherited most if not all of her mother's physical traits. A slim waist, cream colored skin and a solid B cup bust that would probably grow to a D if not bigger. Not that she was complaining, but at times it became such a hassle in attempting to hide them. The last thing she needed, or wanted for that matter, was a dozen pubescent boys all vying for her attention when she was trying to win the heart of the one boy she'd ever taken an interest in. Again she shook her head as she zipped her jacket up and began her exit of the Hyuga manor.

"You're up early." She jumped turning to stare at her younger sister, still adorned in her pajamas. The eight year old smirked. "Going out stalking again?" Hinata fought the blush on her face as the child laughed and said something to the effect of she was a pervert. The comment was lost on Hinata who had already turned back around and was trying to get out of the house before she was badgered by anyone else. "He'll catch you one day, Sis! Mark my words!" The younger heiress giggled as Hinata's pace quickened and she half fled out the door and into the morning.

xxx

She stopped only when she was at her destination, one Ichiraku Ramen Stand. This establishment was Naruto's primary food source when he did not eat at home. She knew that he would be here because he'd neglected to purchase new food the night before last and the only things in his fridge was a month old carton of milk and what looked like the black colored remains of what might have been cabbages.

She had taken her position on the rooftop twenty yards away giving her a perfect view of both the blond ninja's house and the ramen stand itself, thus allowing her to watch him uninterrupted and without being too obvious. There was no entrance to the roof except by either climbing or jumping and she was fairly certain with the sun rising in front of her and the small pack of food beside her that she could tell a convincing lie about wanting to watch the sunrise from up here.

Taking a bite of the ham sandwich she'd prepared the night before, she activated her Byakugan and observed the blond sitting down and speaking with the owner with a big grin on his face. He ordered his morning usual and ate his meal with the same vigor he always did. This surprised her somewhat. She was aware of what had went on in the hospital room after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha, how Sakura had all but ripped the heart from Naruto's chest.

It infuriated her to no end that after everything Naruto had done for her that she could be so cruel. The next day he'd been rather difficult to find as she couldn't exactly stand around in the rain to observe his state of mind, truth be told when the heavy rain had set in she was forced to head home and wait out the storm. However, from her knowledge of his mannerisms she reasoned that, regardless of anything she may have missed yesterday, that he would remain in this slump for a few weeks to come. For him to bounce back with such quickness was quite remarkable and added just another layer to her adoration of the blond.

The blond that had just vanished from her sight.

She stood, stupefied that she had allowed her thoughts to wander to the degree that her would be able to just disappear from her sight. More so that she was unable to find him. Hinata stomped her foot once and narrowed her eyes as she checked the remaining areas he frequented and turned up nothing. Naruto Uzumaki has just vanished into thin air! "Where did he go?" She mumbled to herself, double checking his favorite training area.

"Where'd who go?" She shrieked and turned, looking upon the orange clad blond as he chewed a mouthful of noodles. As per her own usual, both his sudden appearance and close proximity to her resulted in her face turning an obscene shade of red and a blackness growing around the corners of her eyes. His grin shifted and he dumped his chop sticks in his bowl to grip her on the shoulder with his free hand. "Hey, hey hey! Don't pass out! I wanna talk to you!" But it was too late and she slumped, falling into him and almost spilling his food. The blond sighed and helped her to the floor as he continued eating breakfast.

xxx

Hinata sighed, eyes fluttering as she fought to regain herself. She had a familiarity with being in this sort of condition; The dizziness, the confusion, and the waking up in an odd place. She reasoned that, and not for the first time, she had passed out again in the blond's presence and was brought home. But when she moved her arm to remove the sheet covering her, she found it was not a sheet but her hoodie draped over her like a makeshift blanket. Sitting up she found herself still up on the rooftop. It was around noon now so if she hurried she knew she might make it to see the blond playing with Konohamaru and his friends.

"Finally, you're awake!" She jumped again turning to look at Naruto who was now dressed only in his orange pants and a black shirt. "Had to cover you up so you didn't get sun burned." The blush returned to her face and her eyes drooped again. In response he smacked her cheek, not hard mind you, but it still contained enough force to shock her back to full awareness. His eyes weren't hard or angry, more concerned and apologetic to a degree. "Sorry, I didn't want you passing out on me again when I'm trying to talk to you."

He grinned in that weird way of his, halfway between an apology and a greeting. It was enough to keep her conscious somehow. Both of them were quiet for a little bit and she tried to make her mouth work the way she wanted it to. "Wha-What did you want to talk about?"

He smiled again, his ocean eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Hinata...I wanted to apologize." She rose her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask the obvious question. "I haven't been very fair to you." She closed her mouth again as he went on. "I shouldn't have ignored you like that. I was just so wrapped up in..." His eyes darkened somewhat and she knew the name he meant to say. But then he shook his head and looked up, his eyes brightening again. "I couldn't see what was right in front of me."

He was looking at her now, his blue eyes mesmerizing her. She'd never been this close to him before without fainting. Both orbs glowed with a deep powerful flame beneath them and she wondered how anyone could ever be unkind to him. "I was wrong before, when I called you strange." She blinked recalling that memory, the closest that she'd ever come to telling him how she felt about him...

"Looking back its so obvious to me. You were the only one who didn't fawn over Sasuke, or taunt my failures." She felt his hand touch hers and her heart doubled it's pace, she didn't dare look away from him though, his deep blue eyes captivating her. "You were always there in the background, my silent cheerleader." He grinned, creating a blush on her cheeks. He chuckled a little shaking his head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, would you like to get some lunch with me? Hang out and stuff?"

Her blush grew in intensity as her mind was able to tear itself away from the fact of his closeness and process what he was asking. She fumbled on her words trying to articulate her answer. "I-um-" Her blush grew further turning her face a deep red, bordering on purple. "Wha-What about Sakura?"

The blond's eyes narrowed at the sound of her name. His grinning face twisting to an uncharacteristic scowl. "I'm done with her Hinata. If I ever see her again it'll be too soon." He looked out at the sunlit rooftops, his blue eyes almost black in contrast of the bright light. And then like the flip of a switch he was his old grinning, laughing self again. He stood, half yanking her up with him. "C'mon Hinata! I know this great all you can eat place down the road!"

She hesitated for only an instant, but seeing his blue eyes bright with anticipation calmed her and she followed as he jumped from the roof and took off through the streets leaving a comical dust trail behind him for her to follow.

xxx

The hours seemed to fly by as they talked and laughed. Never before had she dreamed she would ever be this comfortable around him; to be able to talk without stammering over every syllable, and to voice her affection to him. It was as though someone up in the sky had looked down upon her with favor and granted her this wish. Naruto was so much more than what she'd seen in all her time watching him from afar. He just had this way of drawing you in. The way he laughed and smiled with such sincerity and affection. You couldn't help but feel comfortable, even safe in his company.

But as the day wore on and dusk settled in, he brought her to the gates of her compound still smiling and laughing along with her. When they reached the gates he came to stand in front of her, gone was her anxiety replaced with comfort and ease. "I had a great time tonight Naruto."

He put his hand behind his head ruffling his hair. "I had a lot of fun too Hinata." He held out his hand and she took it before being abruptly pulled into his arms. She looked up at him yet another blush growing on her cheeks as he grinned down at her. She could feel his breath on her face, smelling of chicken broth and noodles. But instantly she found herself in that dream again his hands wrapped around her, his lips so close to her own...

"Uh Hinata?" She blinked and found herself standing before him again, a confused expression on his face. "You just sorta spaced out on me, you okay?" Her blush grew tenfold and she once again found herself unable to speak, so she only nodded as his perpetual grin returned. "Alright, guess I'll see you around then."

He turned putting his hands in his pockets, and before she could stop herself she shouted to him. "Can we do this again?" He stopped and didn't say anything, looking to the sky. Clouds were forming and it was supposed to thunder storm tonight. He turned his head and looked back at her out of the corner of his eyes. A sly smirk on his lips. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Oi sis!" Hinata jerked and turned her head seeing her sister waving her in. "Get in here! Dad's getting that look on his face again!" She knew what her sister was talking about and turned back to wish him good night only to find him gone without a trace. She stood there staring at the place he'd just been and sighed. _Goodnight Naruto... _She thought, walking into her house and shutting the door just as the first drops of rain began to fall.

xxx

Naruto sighed as he pushed the door closed and leaned against it. Tonight had indeed been fun for him, he'd learned a lot about many different things. Leaning down he ran his hands through his hair matting it back down so it fell to his neck. He hated having his hair so messy like this, but for now it was important to keep up appearances. Having people ask too many questions could throw everything out of whack. He'd just kicked off the door when there was a knock on it. Sighing again in both lethargy and annoyance he turned and opened the door, his false smile becoming a frown the moment his eyes fell upon the face of the one at his door.

xxx

Sakura Haruno was nervous. Not only nervous but guilty. She hated herself for treating him the way she did in the hospital, injured as he was while trying to bring Sasuke back. So here she was standing on his doorstep in the pouring rain, about to ask for the forgiveness she knew he would give. Because that was the kind of person he was. Kind to a fault and forgiving against all reason.

So it came as a shock when she saw his face when he opened the door and realized it was her. His eyes narrowed and in the darkness of his house his eyes looked pitch black. Even his voice was different than anything she'd ever heard out of him. "Oh, Sakura." She had to flinch at the venom he'd put in her name and she realized that maybe she had pushed him a little too far this time.

"Hey." She forced a smile, but his expression remained just as cold. His dark eyes boring into her like a pair of black suns. "Can I come in?" She regretted the question, and in truth didn't know what had possessed her to ask such a thing. But she saw his frown soften for a moment and a small smile on his lips.

"Sure." He stood aside letting her pass and closed the door behind him when she was all the way through.

xxx

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	3. Mindfreak

**Don't think it's killing you…**

**'Cause soon I think you'll find,**

**You are the voice you hear,**

**Screaming inside you mind!**

_Mindfreak-Criss Angel. Mindfreak, 2005_

xxx

Sakura was surprised. After having known the blond for such a long time, she had expected the place to be a complete and utter mess; yet from what she could see the entire apartment was kept almost spotless. Granted, the walls, ceiling, and floors all looked very water-damaged but she didn't think much of it as this apartment was far from being on the high-end market. She turned around when he closed the door behind him and could see his dark eyes staring at her as lightning flashed across the sky. To her surprise she found herself growing nervous; like a rabbit that senses it's being watched. She'd never been this anxious in his company. "So, um, how've you been?" She forced a smile as his eyes shined with another crack of lightning. Thunder roared over the house and the dim lights flickered. The rain peppered the window as it dawned on her that his eyes had never been this black, without even a sliver of blue in them.

"Well," His lips curled up showing perfect, pearl white teeth. His teeth had never been that perfect before. Each one was like a tombstone shaped pearl, all of which holding none of the comfort that his smile always brought her. "After you tore out my heart and told me to die, I'll admit I was a little down." She winced at his choice of words. He was obviously still very hurt by her behavior that day. She opened her mouth to begin her apology but her tongue froze in place when he took a step towards her. The lights flickered again as the storm raged and at last she noticed his clothing.

He wasn't wearing orange, a first as far as she knew. His attire was a pitch black T-shirt and black cargo pants with three crisscrossing black belts holding them up. His shirt was covered with an ebony coat that fell down his back with its tattered edge flicking on the ground. The tears snaked and twisted on the floor as though alive, moving in all directions, each one reminding her of a nest of snakes. The cloak was connected to his body over his shoulders and upper arms, and held in place by four buckles. The bottom two and the top one was open and she got the impression that, when fully closed it would cover the lower half of his face and his upper torso. There was some sort of black and white design on the front of the shirt itself, though all she could make out was a black, upside down ankh on something white. His right hand was gloved but, like his coat, the trim was tattered. He wore combat boots over his pants; the straps tattered and ripped up. _But he had been wearing orange when he answered the door, hadn't he?_ Yes, her mind recalled that with ease, and he hadn't changed while she was here. Something was very wrong; she could feel it just as she felt the shiver running down her spine.

And that feeling increased as he took another step forward, his black eyes gleaming like onyx stones in the light. "But then I pulled myself together, started making new friends." His grin returned, and she realized that it was not anxiety that had gripped her when she had heard him shut the door behind her. It was fear. His skin was too pale, like a corpse; she'd never seen anyone quite that pale before. And his hair; his hair was pure black and fell down to cover his ears. She took another instinctive step back and found herself in a corner of the room; she had been herded and trapped here.

"Na-" She couldn't speak, but not from her fear. Something cold and slimy grabbed her from behind, binding her to the wall by her throat. Before she could even register what was going on, more tendrils grew from the walls, each binding her further. When she tried to scream the strange substance wrapped itself around her mouth; binding it open and blocking her teeth from biting down. She shuddered as her tongue accidentally touched the tentacle thing; it tasted like…something indescribable and was cold as ice, sending shivers through her teeth and into her bones.

Her wild, frightened eyes fell on Naruto; he was smirking at her. The fingers of his left hand were drumming on his waist, his dark eyes showing a grim satisfaction at her trapped form. When he was sure she was listening he continued. "And I've started to use all the things you've taught me over the years Sakura." He stood in front of her and his cloak twisted at his feet making a platform that rose up to her level. His nose was inches from her own; she looked into those malevolent, black eyes and saw only rage and hatred within. "And you taught me _so much_. You taught me about trust…and love..." The felt his hand reach up to grip her by her hair. "And _betrayal_." He tore her from the wall like a butterfly in a collection and threw her with the exact same roughness. The tendrils were waiting for her as she landed and though she tried in desperation to escape this place she found it to be impossible. She yelped as he put his boot on her back and held her firm as the tendrils re-gripped her.

She tried to look up at him, trying to plead for him to stop this and was rewarded with the sight of a now irate Naruto Uzumaki; His dark eyes were wide with madness and fury, and she could only scream into the tendril that covered her mouth as he twisted his boot on her back before beginning to stomp into her. "You have no idea how much I've done for you Sakura...You have no clue!" The last four words were accompanied by hard kicks to her ribs. His cold rage frightened her far more than the tendrils that bound her, because she knew she was at his mercy, and if he wanted to kill her here there was almost, no there was _nothing_ that anyone could do to stop him. Before tears could even begin budding in her eyes, a swift boot met her shoulder and she was sent rolling her onto her back, the tendrils moved with her and still bound her far too tight for her to escape. "Who do you believe showed Ino that you even existed?!" His rage became a wildfire and she could only watch as he stood over her and squatted down to her level. He slapped her hard, and she released a muffled cry of pain as he gripped her hair again and turned her to look at him.

He was back in his normal attire, his bright orange jumpsuit easy to see in the light of the raging storm. His golden hair was pointed in all directions and shook as he shouted at her. "Why do you think I wear this ridiculous outfit?!" He slammed her head down into the wooden floor, dazing her and coating her vision with stars. He slapped her back and forth again to regain her focus. Once more his black attire covered him and his snarling face was only inches away. "I did it for you. _All for you_!" He gripped her throat, the tendrils retracting back into the ground as he lifted her up and held her in the air. In her clouded mind she saw his other hand, but it was a hand no more. It was a weapon; the fingers all forming serrated edges as he curled them and aimed. A switch flicked in his head and once more his eyes were calm, almost smug in their cruelty. "Nevermore, Sakura; you will know what it is to drown in my Tears."

And then the blades lunged, tearing at her stomach and spilling her entrails onto the floor.

xxx

Hinata blinked herself awake, glaring at the alarm clock that once again had intruded on her dreams. So close...We were so close to- She shook her head back and forth and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. This would not do. She would just have to get rid of the thing and sleep in one of these days, damn the consequences. She sat up to yawn and stretch as she made this decision when she noticed the silhouetted figure on her windowsill. She started but somehow couldn't release the yelp from her throat. She stared wide eyed at the figure, her vision clearing and her eyes adjusting from the blackness of her eyelids. After a few seconds she could see who it was that had intruded into her room and the sight calmed her even as the blush rose on her cheeks. It was Naruto, dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans that were torn at the knees. He smiled at her and waved, as though he were not perched on her second story windowsill like some sort of hawk and was talking to her in the street. "Heya!"

His smile was as contagious as ever and even in the depths of her surprise at his sudden appearance she found herself displaying a small grin of her own. "Wha-What are you doing here?"

The blond gave her a nonchalant shrug. "I wanted to take you to breakfast this morning. The guys at the gate said you were asleep so I figured I'd just wait here till you woke up." He made the short jump into the room and stretched. She could hear the joints popping in his arms and back and she could see the toned muscles pushing against the fabric, yet still remaining hidden behind his shirt. It didn't take her imagination, with its brief visitation into her cousin's copy of a certain orange book; long to imagine the sights that would lay behind his shirt. She blinked as his gaze caught hers and a seductive, knowing smirk crossed his face. His eyes were almost black in their intensity, staring into her soul and seeing the vulgar thoughts in her mind. Without a word he strode over to her with purpose and caught her in his arms. He kissed her with the fierceness of an animal and she felt herself melting into him. Her hands moved down his chest, feeling every muscle, slipping under the shirt to touch leathery skin.

"Hey Hinata?" She jumped and found herself once again being dragged back to reality. She saw him looking at her with a curious expression, his blue eyes glinting with a hint of worry. This was the second time in recent memory her mind had sent her into such a vivid fantasy. Even now she found feel the tingle on her lips from the kiss that had never even happened. "You sure you're alright? You look a little red." He reached over and in an instant she was entranced again, envisioning him catching the back of her head and bringing her into yet another wonderful kiss. In the same instant it ended; she felt the back of his hand on her forehead, checking her temperature.

"I-I'm fine. Really." She backed away a step and he tilted his head, another strange expression on his face. It seemed worried but at the same time, a little amused. She smiled again and, as though deciding that she was indeed fine, he shrugged and turned away climbing back into the window. Panic hit her like a wave of cold water, had he seen through her and into her fantasies? Did he somehow _know_ the perverse thoughts and dreams that invaded her mind? She came over to him and touched his shoulder. She was surprised by how clammy his skin was, it felt as though he'd just bathed in ice water and the sun was only beginning to heat him. As if to confirm this, his skin was wet to the touch. He glanced back her, his expression as serious as he had been during his fight with Neji. She could feel his eyes searching her once more, seeing more than just her features. And then like a dream he relaxed and asked her something, but she couldn't comprehend him; she was lost in his eyes, sky blue orbs that mesmerized her, enrapturing her in their infinite depths. Were it possible she would stare into those eyes forever.

She was jerked to reality again when he tapped her on the forehead with his index and middle finger. "Hinata? Hello?" He grinned again as her face flushed and he repeated the motion.

"Pl-Please don't go." She heard herself say the words and watched his grin brighten a bit. She watched his eyes trail up and down her form and she noticed, for what felt like the first time, that she was still dressed in only her nightgown. Her blush grew tenfold as he laughed at her expression.

"I thought you'd want some privacy so you could change." She saw the look in his eyes change to seductive amusement. "But if you insist on my staying..." He feigned a step back down into the room and she shook her head, unable to mouth the words to stop him. His smile was coy, as though he were oblivious to the embarrassment rushing through her. But in his eyes she could see his silent laughter, not mocking her but seeing the humor in her folly. He let her stammer and shift a bit before sighing in obvious contentment and moving back up to the window. "See you outside." And with that he was gone, leaping from the window onto the wall guarding the compound and beyond.

She stared after him and sighed in longing, missing him already. She shook her head, what was wrong with her? She'd see him in a few minutes. With that, she moved to her dresser to get ready.

xxx

Sakura rubbed the sides of her head and took a pause from brushing her hair. That dream last night had disturbed her quite bit. It was so vivid and so real; the rage and madness in Naruto's eyes, the chill of those tendrils and the sharp pain of her bowels falling onto the floor before she awoke. She released an involuntary shudder as she opened the mirror door to replace her brush. She looked down at the sink and pushed her hair back before letting it fall again. When she looked up in the mirror again she couldn't help but yelp as she saw her face. It was the face of a corpse; it's lower jaw torn away with one eye dangling from its socket. Pieces of skin and meat were missing revealing paper white bone underneath. But the most prudent part of this vision was the black tears cascading down the corpse's left cheek, the only cheek it possessed. Then although it possessed no lower jaw, it spoke in an eerie and distorted version of her voice. The words chilled her to the bone…

"_You will know what it is to drown in my Tears."_

She backed away until she was against the wall; hitting her head on the towel rack and making her close her eyes in a wince. Shaking her head, she opened them again and the image was now standing before her, a boney clawed hand reaching out to grip her by the throat and strangle her.

And in an instant it faded away and she was left leaning on the wall gasping for breath. Her eyes darted to the mirror and found her face to be normal again. No horrific scars or missing chunks of flesh, she was just as healthy as a thoroughbred horse. With a trembling hand she touched her face, feeling the familiar design of her skin. There no anomalies, nothing out of place; just a very frightened, very tired young woman who was seeing things.

There was a knock on the door and she jumped again almost falling into the bathtub. "Sakura? Honey, are you alright in there?"

"Y-Yeah mom, just a little tired this morning." It was just her mother; she must have heard her scream. _Get a grip. _Her inner voice scolded her. It was just a nightmare. No need to be jumping at every shadow like some paranoid lunatic. She nodded and exited the bathroom and heading into the kitchen where she found her mother at the stove cooking some eggs. "Hey mom," She smiled at the older woman who turned to look at her.

Half her head was gone. Sakura could only stare in horror at her mother's face, or what was left of it, looked upon her with a smile she could see the grey matter as it fell into the eggs and hissed in the heat of the pan. "Eep well Ear?" She asked of her, the tongue in her mouth falling to the floor. Sakura backed up to the wall, shutting her eyes. No! No, this wasn't real! She jerked away from the hand that gripped her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and all was right again. Her mother's face was normal; her brain was not in the frying pan. It was just another…She didn't know what it was. But it was over now.

"Honey are you sure you're alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Her mother's face was plagued with worry.

"Yeah." She shook her head and echoed herself as though saying it in the open would make it true somehow. "Yeah, mom. Trick of the-" She shook her head forcing a smile. "I'm fine. Really." Her mother didn't look convinced, the frown on her face still full of worry. None the less she didn't press her daughter, with what had happened with that Sasuke boy. She could only imagine the stress she was under…

xxx

And the thick plottens. Lengthy reviews are loved as always. By the way, I find myself in need of ideas for more horrific hallucinations. The themes are undead, shadows, and black water/tears. I need dreams like the Naruto thing and illusions such as Sakura seeing her corpse in the mirror. If you've got any ideas leave them in a your reviews or PM me. If I use your idea I'll be sure to thank you in the next chapter.

Until the next time,

GN


	4. Nil

**Chaos - It's just the beginning.**

**Every promise I made I'm rescinding.**

**Center mass in the middle of the monster,**

**I'm getting tired of drowning the constant...**

_Nil-Slipknot. Vol.4 (The Subliminal Verses), 2004_

xxx

Sakura Haruno hangs, exploring the spectrum of the pain she is in. In the infrared, she finds ashes of thirst that cook her throat raw. Higher, in the visible spectrum, crimson wire-stretched ligaments that hiss within her shoulders. Screams howl from her hip joints like the death cry of a mother lioness as her golden coat is stripped from her body. There is green here too; tongues of bubbling acid taste her nerves, as well as lightning blue shocks that spasm her overloaded body into convulsions.

And higher still, far beyond the ultraviolet betrayal that brought her here, a betrayal that delivered her into the embrace of this…thing; a betrayal by one whom she trusted. She finds bursts of the gamma-rays seeping into her mind, twisting the signals in her brain in ways they were not meant to do so.

_Why?_ She moans somewhere deep within herself. _Why are you doing this?_ She remembers the hallway, the loud crash that came from the door that led to her mother's room. She opened the door only to be met by the Black. It latched onto her; strangling and binding her; bringing her to her knees and preventing her to even think of escape. She felt the liquid pour into her; digging up into her nostrils, puncturing her eardrums, pouring itself down her throat into her stomach and lungs. Doing everything it can to connect itself to her. And before she blacked out, before unconsciousness was forced upon her, she saw him; her friend who haunted her with cruel visions and terrible nightmares. He is standing among the black as he always does; his skin is white as snow and his hair black as night. She saw him and before darkness claimed her she felt despair.

These are the colors that disturb her mind.

Sakura knows, intellectually, distantly, abstractly, that once she lived outside the white. She knows she once felt happiness, pleasure, regret, anger, even love. But these are only shadows, ghosts murmuring beneath the roar of pain that fills everything she is, everything she will ever be. The fact that the white _did_ have a beginning did not mean it has an end. She now exists beyond time...where she exists there is only White.

Sakura has become a prism, reintegrating the glimmering spectrum of pain into pure, blazing agony. Agony is White. Snow-blind in an eternal ice-noon of suffering, Sakura Haruno hangs in the White.

xxx

The touch of a hand along her jaw leaked time into the White. This is not a human hand, it was shaped as such, four fingers of varied length and one opposable thumb, but it was too cool, too cold to be the touch of family or a close friend. The touch was moist, and somehow not unkind. Pain retreated to the back of her mind until she could think again, though she could feel it there, lurking and waiting. She knew it would overtake her again; it would break in waves across her, but for now the tides of agony rolled out and she could open her green eyes.

The hand that brought her out of the white belonged to Naruto, he stood below her looking up with calm ebony eyes, his fingers light upon her cheek and the same knowing smile on his face.

She was hung horizontally, suspended face-downtwo meters aboveafloor of shifting oils and shadows. Its surface was in a constant state of motion, save where he stood which seemed to form a platform of black ice. Something that felt like claws, razor sharp and unyielding, gripped her skull from behind; she could not move her head to see what held her. Her arms were drawn wide, pulled to the full extension and twisted so that her shoulders howled in their sockets. A single strong grip crushed her ankles, grinding bone on bone.

Yet now the greatest pain was to look on Narutoand remember that she had trusted him. He withdrew his hand, clenching and opening it while he stared at her with those eyes, a small grin on his face. Before, such a smile would give her comfort and solace, but now it mocks her reminding her of just how much she had put into her trust in him and now what it was costing her.

"Comfortable?" He asks of her, his voice casual even as he mocks her. "I doubt it."

Her mind is too strained to feel anger; even resentment is beyond her capacity now. She tries and fails to force herself to awaken, to snap her mind away from what must be a dream. Yet she cannot. He waits, his dark eyes alight with grim amusement, the kind of amusement one garners from playing the a wounded animal, listening to its pained cries with your every touch. "I-" Speaking tore at her throat as though she had splinters of diamond in her esophagus. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the words from her mouth. "I _trusted_ you."

He tilts his head to the left. "Yes. Yes you did." He lifted his hand, moving non-existent strands of hair behind his ear. His smile never left as he asked his next question. "Why?"

She didn't have the strength to give him an answer, and then she found she had no answer to give. When they'd first met, he was just a rambunctious little kid, running about and doing everything he could to get himself noticed. He would smile, and grin, and laugh his way right into your heart. And yet now to look upon him he had become something...else. His skin was pale as a corpse; his hair, once gold and bright as the sun itself, was now lengthened and black. Blue eyes that could enrapture you and fill you with utter warmth were now lifeless and black as the void. His smiles frightened when once they comforted.

How could she have known this would happen?

How could she have ever trusted him?

"You-you saved Sasuke." She rasped; a plausible reason at last.

"Did I?" He tilted his head to the left now, amusement in his dark eyes. "And if I did, what significance do you attach to this? Perhaps I had my own reasons for saving his life. Or perhaps you were my true interest; perhaps I saved him to try and ensure you would be happy. Perhaps everything I have done was to bring you here and ensnare you in the Embrace of my Tears."

"Which-Which was it?" She gasped, trying in vain to sound demanding.

"Which do you think it was?"

She was not so broken that she did not know she was being mocked. "What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

"Such deep questions..." His smile was calm, condescending, and undeniably cruel. "It is near enough to the truth to say that I am a messenger of melancholy; a herald for tragedy, bearing gifts to ease the grieved."

Her eyes widened by a millimeter, it was all she could manage as the numb fear crossed her mind. She licked her lips, her dry tongue scraping them raw. "You're saying…You're saying, you're going to kill me." It was not a question, but a statement of the facts as she saw them…

And then he started laughing. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic." He continued to chuckle as though the very thought was very, very funny to him. "Besides, how can I kill that which is already dead?" Seeing her confusion and alarm he waved his hands and shook his head. "Let me explain." He lifted his hand up and from the shadows appeared a doppelganger, the faker's eyes were just as cruel as her master's and she smiled wickedly at the original. Naruto laughed again at her expression. "You see, you are forever lost to the world of which you knew. You are dead and no one mourns you. This double knows all that you know, and to everyone but me is completely indistinguishable from the real thing. Do you understand? No one is coming. No one has any reason to suspect anything is amiss. You are helpless."

"What-What are you?"

He raised his eyebrows and made a gesture quick as lightning. "I am Naruto Uzumaki." Inside Sakura's head, a swirl of chakra kindled a flame brillinat as the sun. It began to swell, gathering power, ramping up intensity until the light inside her skull washed away the dark chamber in which she hung. In this whited out blaze, she heard his voice, cold and precise as a jet-stream of water. "I am your guide though the lands of the dead."

Beyond that Sakura Haruno heard and saw no more, for a silent supernova exploded within her brain and blasted the world she knew to dust.

xxx

He wasn't wearing orange. Somehow her mind just couldn't wrap itself around that concept. Naruto Uzumaki not wearing orange of any kind? It was madness. Were he a religious leader it would have been blasphemy. And yet he looked so _good_; she couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked of her as they sat atop the Hokage heads and overlooked the village. It was almost nightfall and she'd agreed to come and watch the setting sun with him before she had to head home. He was leaned back on his elbows and she was sitting alongside him cross-legged. "You've been staring at me for the last half hour." He grinned seeing her expression and the cute blush on her cheeks

"I-I've just," She looked away biting the inside of her lower lip trying to coax the words from her mouth. "I've never seen you without orange before." She chanced a look at his face and saw the grin that was threatening to burst into laughter.

He reached up and tapped her forehead with his index finger, it was a sort of hobby he'd grown into when he was teasing her. "Is _that_ all? Is it so weird for me to wear anything but that ridiculous outfit?"

"No!" She jumped at the force of her own voice. "I-I mean, orange looks really good on you." She looked away blushing quite heavily as at last his laughter punctured his lips.

"Hinata, I _hate _orange." This stopped her dead, her head whipped to stare at him. Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape. He smiled again. "I have _always_ hated orange. The only reason I ever wore that ridiculous outfit was for Sakura's benefit."

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water and he continued. "Think about it, Hinata: What are the only two more obnoxious colors than red and pink in the middle of the forest?" He waited for an instant and before she could make her mouth work well enough to answer he continued. "Yellow and orange. Furthermore, who has a very powerful healing factor that repairs any damage I might suffer within minutes of its introduction?"

Once more he didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "Me. I didn't have to worry about being killed so I made myself a bigger target so that when I was attacked I could warn the others." He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "Personally, I kind of like a darker color scheme, the blues and purples," His eyes met hers again and she felt herself freeze, as though she were a rabbit looking into the eye of a hungry predator. "And black. _Definitely_ black."

A shudder ran though her body and she shut her eyes trying to keep it invisible. When she opened her eyes again he was smiling, his deep blue eyes giving her the most adoring, lustful gaze she'd ever received. They gleamed like pairs of fire blue gemstone, and she could do nothing as he reached out for her, his fingers sliding along her jaw and under her chin. He sat up, leaning towards her; his eyes remained open, watching her like a hawk. She couldn't look away; no, she didn't _want_ to look away. She wanted; she _needed_ him to kiss her. To feel his lips brush her own...It was like an inferno in her throat, a thirst growing and threatening to overtake her at any moment.

And then she felt two fingers tap her forehead.

She blinked several times and found herself standing in front of her compound yet again. Naruto once more had that same strange look on his face; his head tilted to the left, a concerned frown on his features. Yet an odd, knowing gleam was in his eyes, as though he knew a lot more than what he was letting on. "Hinata? Are you feeling alright?"

_Other than the fact that I want you in the most immoral and vulgar ways? Oh yes, I'm just fine._ Snapped a part of her mind, yet she only blushed and nodded. "Y-Yeah, I've just…" He chuckled again breaking her thought pattern for what felt like the umpteenth time. How was it that he affected her such and was still so oblivious to it? Was he truly unaware of the way her tormented her mind?

He reached out and put his hand on her head ruffling her hair. "You're so _cute_ when you blush like that!" He laughed again before shouting in surprise as she fell forward into his shoulder. He smiled reaching down to pick up her legs like a bride and carried her towards the door.

Xxx

Seconds or centuries passed in oblivion.

Consciousness swam back into Sakura Haruno, and she opened her eyes to find herself still hanging in the dark. Once more Naruto was before her, rolling a very small ball of clear yarn on his knuckles. As he sat on a throne of twisting shadows, she saw on his face the same alien facsimile of cheerful mockery.

Nothing had changed, and yet everything had changed. The world was so..._empty_.

"What?" She croaked, her throat raw as though she'd spent days screaming in her sleep. "What have you _done_ to me?!"

He removed his eyes from her, directing his smile upon the clear ball which continued to dance and jump about on his gloved hand. "You've no business having chakra, nor should it have any business with you. You humans are so impulsive, and reckless; Infants teething on a kunai. No, I think that chakra is much too dangerous for a child. Much more dangerous than the explosives a teenager can buy because of the headband on his head. So I decided to take it away from you."

The emptiness was howling in Sakura's skull, she felt so... void. Yet even in the numbness she could feel the shock and horror of this statement. She tried to focus; to work her chakra in some small way... But all she felt was emptiness, there was no chakra to mold. "But... There's no... You couldn't have-"

"Oh, but I did." At last he rolled the ball between his two fingers and held it up as one would a trophy. The realization hit her like a cannon. That was not yarn that had been rolled into a ball... It was her entire chakra system; physically removed by some unknown means. "I will admit it took some time and effort on my part, but in the end, the transplant was a success." He stood and the throne he'd been sitting in twisted and became his cloak. "You were very fortunate to have survived; I didn't know that the chakra system was essential to a living being's survival." He was now before her his dark eyes gleaming like onyx gems. "I had to find a replacement."

Something within her, in her very bones stirred. She received a sensation similar to the feeling one gets when trying to surge their chakra, she always felt a strange elation in molding the energy; not so with this. This was alien, beyond her control, and she knew who now plucked the strings.

He was staring at her with a cool, knowing smirk.

"The Tears are such an amazing entity. Did you know that to protect their leaders from death, the tears could take prisoners and infect their entire nervous system with a special parasite connected to the Tears themselves? In doing so, nerves in the leader's body could shift any pain or wounds onto such a prisoner." He held up his hand, his index finger already shifted into a long serrated cutting tool. He curled the finger and placed it along his wrist.

"Let's see if we can't make you scream."

xxx

Are you confused yet? Don't worry, all the answers will come soon enough.

This chapter had a lot of help via Mattew Stover's _Traitor._


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